A Moment Unseen
by tlwpuppypal
Summary: This is my first story, written for a friend of mine. Not really good, but just a little fluff from back in the Yorknew Arc. Enjoy! One-Shot


It was late, when he finally returned. Blood splattered his clothes, his usual stoic expression drawn and pale. Shaggy blonde hair hung in his face, in disarray from the fight just hours before, hiding downcast eyes. Normally a shade of hazel, one eye is covered by a black lens, darkening its appearance, while the other is revealed, red glow faltering. Normally, this hunter was calm, collected... But at this moment his mind was far away. His body is naught but an empty shell, simply following ingrained instincts, learned upon being hired, by his duty. He had killed...Kurapika, sole survivor of the Kurta Clan, had killed... Morally, he was against such injustice, but his pure heart had been tainted... Tainted by events of the past, full of pain and suffering from the loss of everyone he held dear... That's why he was in this current state, so withdrawn...

They were simply tracking the thieves from the auction, those who dared to murder every last man in the vicinity, including his fellow guards. He and the remaining few were to find and retrieve the stolen items, as well as the murderers. Find them they did, only to discover the thieves were the bane of his existence, the Spider he had been hunting. Finally, Kurapika could act on his vow of vengeance against the Phantom Troupe. Though told to return, supposedly 'outclassed', he still faced the beast of a man after chasing him from escaping, rage fueling his actions and clouding his mind. And yet...Kurapika has been the one to come out on top, the blood of his opponent proof of his victory, as well as the proof his blood innocence was taken, that his morals were compromised.

Back in the hotel room, the ghost of the once confident Kurta traversed the room, to sit on a guests' futon, not bothering to clean up. There he sat, looking down at the ground yet seeing nothing, his mind locked in conflict. His eyes only saw reruns of his actions, the death of the troupe member flashing in his mind's eye over and over, the blood splashing his hair and clothes. As a person, he would never kill... As a Kurta, he had vowed for revenge on those who massacred his brethren, their deaths his goal as he searched to regain the scarlet eyes taken from the Kurtas' desecrated bodies. He was so prepared... Why was he struggling to remain sane...? The chain struck, red flowed... His soul now stained with the blood of another, to match his heart tainted with suffering...Confined was he, in the very depth of his thoughts, unable to escape until some form of relief could help calm the raging storm of conflict.

The spoiled daughter of Nostrade, flesh collector and fortune teller, had been waiting. Usually, the girl only cared about herself, naive and uncomprehending of the world around her. Yet she could be perceptive when she wanted...Neon had noticed his absence, having wanted to demand a game from him, and so chose to wait in his assigned room, ready to ambush the hunter. As time passed she fell asleep from boredom, leaning back against the headboard of his bed, only to awaken at the creak of the door opening. "Kurapika…?" Neon mumbled sleepily, the dark room hiding everything but his familiar form from groggy eyes. As soon it registered in her sleep-hazed mind that it was indeed the blonde, the girl shot up in excitement, throwing a tantrum on how he was supposed to be there to protect and entertain her, that he had made her wait, ordering him to play her childish games. Eventually, her words died on her lips as she finally noticed the state he was in. Unseeing, unable to hear, even Neon can tell something was amiss, yet with only a sliver of moonlight lighting the dark room, she could not tell what was wrong, nor see the blood marking his body. Yet those thoughts were lost when she realized he did not respond to her, annoying her to no end. "Kurapika are you even listening?!"

Huffing like a child, Neon abruptly left the bed, stomping over to the resting guard and placing her hands on her hips. "Kurapika!"

'Kurapika!' To him, the voice was familiar. Trapped in his mind as he was, the girly voice sounded distant. "Neon….sama…." Though distant, it did manage to pull Kurapika into the real world once more, though his mind was not completely there. Lifting his gaze slowly, he looks up the girl before him, attempting to focus on her. "Neon-sama…why are you here…?"

His question, however, was left unanswered. She had been about to retort, her lips parted to speak, when the odd coloring of his eyes caught her attention. One eye was dark as always, yet the other…it shone a scarlet red, though fading, and piqued her interest. "K-Kurapika…your eyes! Why is one red? It looks like the scarlet eyes you got me~!"

A moment passed after he heard her words, only for his eyes to widen in shock. So lost in his thoughts, he had forgotten to replace his contact, let alone clean up, and now she knew. Quickly averting his gaze, body quivering, he mutters quietly. "Neon-sama…please return to your room." Already so shaken from his earlier battle, he did not need to deal with her annoying, nosy habits.

But of course, Neon refused, too stubborn and curious to leave. "But Kurapika..!" she whines, leaning in to try and catch a glimpse of his eyes again. "I want to know!"

"Neon-sama please leave!" So out of character, his head had snapped up, a glare directed at the fortune teller. Taken aback, Neon froze, eyes wide. Not only was she shocked by Kurapika's strange behavior, but the look in his eyes…That's when the tangy metal smell entered her nose. Blood. She could smell blood. And the close proximity, even in the dark, allowed her to see the dark splotches on his skin and clothes. "Kura…pika…" One dainty hand is placed against his cheek, as she discerns the torment hidden in his eyes. "What happened…Kurapika tell me." For once, her voice was soft, so unlike the demanding obnoxious Neon the world knew her to be. Such gentleness stunned him, his resistance wavering. He was cracking, falling to pieces on the inside, and his will to keep quiet was slipping as he gazed into her blue eyes, seeking some solace from the war in his mind.

"Tell me…Kurapika, you're usually so grumpy and boring, but I can tell…you have a pure heart…Just what is going on?"

The warmth her hand offered had him lean into her touch, but he could not answer. Sighing, his eyes fluttered close, pulling away from her hand. "Neon-sama…you do not need to know…nor do you know anything about me…"

"Oh, come on!" Her bottom lip juts out in a pout, brows furrowed slightly. "I /want/ to know, so you might as well tell me because I'm not leaving! You better or I'm calling daddy!"

His head turns away, eyes remaining closed as he ignores her 'threat'.

Huffing, her fingers curl beneath his chin, forcing him to look back at her again. "Kurapika! Just tell me. Please?" So curious, she calls on desperate measures, actually asking for once.

This surprised him, eyes flying open to meet her gaze once again. As soon as hazel met blue, he crumbled. Eyes squeezing shut, his head falls forward in defeat. "I…killed…Neon-sama, I killed him…" His boyish voice usually so strong and unwavering, was quivering and strained. "Never before…I would never had done it…but I was so enraged…I went against my own morals…He deserved it… his whole troupe does… for massacring my brethren…for gouging out their eyes…the eyes you seek…I vowed to return them, to avenge their deaths… it's tearing me apart, how I killed him in cold blood, in hatred, against my very heart…"

Neon could feel how he trembled, just by the hand cupping his chin. Still not completely understanding the situation, what she did get was that Kurapika was suffering, and that his eyes were scarlet. One thought crossed her mind, how she will add him to her collection, though it was fleeting as what he told her processed in her mind. Still believing his heart to be pure, even after hearing how he murdered someone, she placed both hands on each side of his head, gently pulling him forward until he rested against her chest. It disturbed her to see him like this, so torn up inside.

As soon as it clicked he leaned against her, he inhaled sharply, eyes open wide. "Neon-sama…?" Her actions, though comforting, confused the blonde. She never acted so caring…not to another.

"Shh…it's ok, Kurapika…" Slender fingers began to thread through his hair, gently running through the strands in a soothing manner. It was odd for her to do this, but Neon felt compelled by something inside to act this way. Compassion? Concern? Whatever it was, she couldn't just leave him like this. So she acted on the urges the feeling was giving her, her own wants put aside. For now.

Silenced, by both her words and her actions, he simply complied for a change, leaning against her as his eyes slowly shut. Still so unsure, his arms lift by instinct, circling around and clinging to her waist. It was the first time he felt so…vulnerable, exposed, and yet she offered solace from his suffering. The sensations from her fingers slowly calmed him, his trembling ceasing. The mental assault of the killing was still ever present, and not something Neon could help with, but the fact she was there, that she seemed to accept it all helped to banish the worst of nightmare tormenting him. It allowed him to think, to clear his mind, and to come to terms with the burden on his heart. For that, he was grateful to her, but for now he just wanted the moment to continue a little longer…so comforting, her warmth gentle, that the sensation of her fingers through his hair slowly coaxed him into sleep.

And Neon…her lips curled into a soft smile, sensing the change in him. She could feel him no longer trembling, that the conflict was at least somewhat resolved, though she figured enough that it wasn't quite over for him. She was happy though, that he finally showed some emotion besides his boring side, and was rather surprised by his sudden hug. But after a while she stopped, poking his cheek. "Kurapika." With no response, she pouted, poking again. "Kurapikaaaaa." With still no response, she poked several more times. "Kurapika! You better not be ignoring me!" Huffing, and fed up, she decides to hit the top of his head. "Kurapika!"

Jumping slightly from the rude awakening, his head snaps up, blinking a couple times as he looks up at her. "Neon-sama?" Realizing he fell asleep, he sheepishly retracts his arms.

"About time!" As if forgetting his emotional state moments before, her hands were once again propped on her hips. "Geez, Kurapika you're not allowed to ignore me! Hurry up and change from those filthy clothes so we can play tag!"

Staring at her blankly for a moment, he frowns slightly. "Neon-sama, I don't think I'm in much of a mood to play now…Besides, it's late. You should be heading to bed."

"I don't care if you're not in the mood! Go clean up and play with me!"

"But Neon-sama-"

"Now!"


End file.
